Edinburgh Partnership Single Outcome Agreement

A concordat signed by COSLA and the Scottish Government in November 2007 set out the terms of a new relationship between the Scottish Government and local government based upon mutual respect and commitment. The development of a Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) formed an important part of this new relationship.

Collaborative working is crucial for the future delivery of national as well as local objectives. The Council led the development of an SOA covering the period 2009-12 on behalf of the Edinburgh Partnership (Edinburgh’s Community Planning Partnership). An early draft was made available for public consultation during January/February 2009.

A final Edinburgh Partnership SOA, covering the period 2009-12, was agreed with the Scottish Government in June 2009 -

Edinburgh Partnership Single Outcome Agreement 2009-12 (PDF, 3.4 MB)

A report highlighting the 6 month progress made against the 2009-12 SOA is available below -

Edinburgh Partnership Single Outcome Agreement 2009-12 Six Month Monitoring Report

The SOA contains an integrated area profile of Edinburgh, providing context for the current issues facing the city, which include demographic changes and the impact of global economic downturn. The SOA sets out the Edinburgh Partnership’s local outcomes aligned to each of the 15 National Outcomes agreed in the concordat. Please visit the following Scottish Government webpage for a copy of the concordat.

The Edinburgh Partnership has clearly set out in the SOA a commitment to improving and delivering both the range and quality of services expected and enjoyed by Edinburgh citizens. It also highlights, for the first time, the very important contribution the city makes to the goals and objectives of the Scottish Government and the development of Scotland.

If you would like to comment on, or require further information in relation to the Single Outcome Agreement please contact Greg Anderson on 469 3318 or e-mail greg.anderson@edinburgh.gov.uk

Additional points -

The Council and its partners have well established approaches to engaging with citizens and communities. In drafting this SOA, we have carried out extensive engagement with community planning partners including representatives from the Third/voluntary sector. The local outcomes described within the SOA are also heavily influenced by what you have already told us about life in Edinburgh, the quality of public services and specific service proposals and priorities. We will continue to develop our priorities and measures based on what you tell us is important.

The SOA does not set out to capture all service areas and a number of important services provided will inevitably not be featured in the SOA. This does not mean that these services are not valued or less likely to be seen as a priority in the future. The SOA is also intended to focus on outcomes for people and therefore some important areas are not fully covered due to a lack of robust performance information with an outcome focus. These areas may be further developed in future versions of the SOA.

Voluntary and independent sector organisations make an important contribution to a number of the outcomes and targets in the SOA, to specific Community Planning strategic partnerships, the Council’s Departmental Service Plans and other thematic plans and strategies. In developing the SOA we have profiled the contribution of the third sector as a whole and the importance of social economy and volunteering in the city.

An Equalities Impact Assessment on the SOA has also been completed.

Background -

The City of Edinburgh Council agreed a previous version of the SOA, covering the period 2008-11, with the Scottish Government at the end of June 2008.

The Council Single Outcome Agreement 2008-11 is available here (PDF, 1.3 mb)

A report highlighting the progress made against the first SOA is available below -

Single Outcome Agreement 2008-11 - Annual Report on Progress (PDF, 1.2mb)